Shadowed Heart, Unwavering Faith
by xxArrowWolfxx
Summary: A mission gone awry, an illness, and a curse all send Lucy on a one way path towards death. Hoping to protect her nakama from her condition she makes a run for it and begins a race against a clock and an ancient power that she has virtually no chance in beating. Of course Team Natsu is not too far behind. Now NaLu.
1. The Curse

_**WARNING: Author's Note contains spoilers. If you haven't read 291 of the manga I would suggest skipping it.**_

_**Author's Note: SO I was trying to find motivation to write the second chapter of "Of Knights and Fevers" but found the muses in my head refusing to cooperate, so instead I started throwing ideas down on the page and TA-DAH! This is what came about. Honestly I'm not sure where this would fit in regards to the manga but it is after the 7 year time skip so hopefully that'll help a bit.**_

**_Disclaimer: If I owned Fairytail Lucy would have totally taken Minerva out in Chapter 291, just saying._**

**Chapter One: The Curse**

To say Lucy felt ill was an understatement.

She felt like she was dying and was fairly certain if she didn't get to the guild soon she would.

Running a hand across her forehead the blonde celestial mage whimpered in pain as she made her way down the frozen streets of Magnolia. The heat radiating off of her body melting the snow that fell casually onto her forehead. Panting she pressed her palm against her forehead, her vision swimming.

_What is wrong with me?  
_  
She had felt kind of sluggish since the mission incident but she had assumed it was just her body healing. When she had woken up that morning, however ,the feeling of sluggish had morphed into a sharp pain that coursed throughout her entire body. Everything about her just screamed agony and she had coughed up a fair amount of dark blood, which had scared the wits from the girl.

Hoping it would fade with rest, and frankly being too weak to do anything else Lucy spent most of the day on the floor of her bathroom sleeping, hoping the agonizing pain would fade, but to no such luck.

When she had awoken later she had felt fine, the pain that had plagued her had faded to a minimal and she had hoped it was merely a string a strange occurrences, that had been until she collapsed to the ground withering as pain had shot throughout the course of her body. Once the fit had subsided Lucy knew she had to get to the guild as soon as possible and had quickly thrown on a jacket before making her way out into the rare blizzard that was plaguing Magnolia.

Which explained her current situation.

Turning a corner the blonde felt a terrible shudder race up spine. Pulling her coat closer around herself Lucy almost stumbled as her foot connected with a block of ice lying in the road. Grumbling in frustration she straightened her form and continued her tedious trek towards the guild.

After several more minutes of travel the girl felt her vision swim once more and had to throw out a hand to balance herself on the nearest building, her breathing coming out in heavy gasping noises.

Her eyes widened in panic, she couldn't breathe. Sliding onto her knees against the building the blonde pressed her forehead against the stone, trying valiantly to force air into her lungs. Tears swelling up in her eyes, Lucy had to force the panic that had risen in her stomach down.

_One breath at a time,_ she coaxed herself, _one breath and then you can get up and get to the guild so Wendy can figure out what's going on.  
_

* * *

The guild was in its normal hustle and bustle that winter evening, the warm glow of the lanterns giving the already homey guild and even more comfortable atmosphere.

Mira and Lisanna stood beside the bar cleaning glasses and chatted casually with Cana as she downed her normal barrel of alcohol.

Laxus was leaning up against a table speaking to his drinking grandfather, while the thunder god tribe sat on a nearby table chatting about their treasured leader. All the while Evergreen kept stealing glances towards a posing Elfman going into the specifics of being a 'true man' to a poor unsuspecting Romeo.

Gajeel was observing Levi decode books, while Jet and Droy happily cheered her on and Panther Lily discreetly napped against the wall. Juvia was in her normal position spying on a stripping Gray who was speaking casually to a cake eating Erza. Natsu sat across from his teammates and was discussing fishing techniques to a very bored looking Charle, who was looking desperately for an escape route.

All it all it was completely normal.

Wendy sighed, so then why did it feel like something was missing? Laying her head down on the table the young dragonslayer continued to ponder over what was missing when a blue ball of fur landed next to her arm.

"Wendy!" Happy chortled happily as he held his hands out presenting Wendy with a fish, "Would you like one?" The cats eyes misted over lightly, "Charle wouldn't take it..."

At this Wendy tried to smile but shook her head declining the stinky fish.

"Are you okay?" The blue cat asked as he watched his companion closely, "You seem sad Wendy."

At this Wendy shook her head, "I'm not sad, I just can't help but feel something is missing." At this Happy paused with the fish that was halfway to his mouth.

"Do you mean Lucy?" Happy asked casually.

The young dragonslayers eyes lit up. "Yes! That's what it is! I haven't seen Lucy at all the last few days." Upon speaking these words the rest of the guild, who had apparently heard the exchange, began to throw their two sense in.

"You're right Wendy," Mirajane said from her position behind the bar, "Lucy hasn't been here very much recently." The beautiful woman's mouth fell into a slight frown as worry creased her brow.

"Huh," Gray mused, subconsciously stripping his pants off and throwing them to the side, "I wonder where she is."

"Gray," Erza stated casually, her fork digging into strawberry cake, "Your pants." The ice mage looked down before cursing and grabbing up said article of clothing.

"Juvia has not seen her love rival either," The water mage explained as she oogled Gray slipping back into his pants, "Maybe she has given up on her passionate pursuit of Gray-sama and knows his love is only for me!"

The guild sweatdropped in response.

"Lu-chan's probably just slaving away at her novel!" Levi exclaimed happily, before rubbing her hands together and smiling, "Oh I do hope she finishes the next chapter soon! I really want to know what happens!"

Upon hearing Levi's comment most everyone seemed to fall into agreement and quickly went back to what they were previously doing, that is, except for one pink haired dragonslayer.

Sighing Natsu crossed his arms over his chest, something felt odd about Lucy not being at the guild; especially after the events of their last mission. Just thinking about it still made his skin crawl and an odd knot embed itself in his stomach.

Turning on his heel Natsu made his way up towards the bar and sat on one of the stools, brooding.

"Natsu," Lisanna greeted, her face broke into a wide smile as she ran her rag over the glass polishing it.

"Hey Lisanna," The boy began before pausing for a moment, "It's not like Lucy to not come to the guild," the dragonslayer mused, "I wonder if she's alright." At this Lisanna chuckled lightly.

"If you're worried about her," she explained as though it were the most simple thing in the world, "go check on her then. She'd probably be glad to see you." The girl stopped for a moment, "Just don't crawl through her window this time, Mira-nee and I don't want to have to patch you up again."

Natsu looked up towards Lisanna and grinned.

"Thanks a lot!" He said with a big smile as he hopped down from the stool, "I'm gonna go drag her ass down here so she can be with the rest of us. Good words of advice Lisanna!" Natsu took off waving, trying to suppress the worry that had embedded itself in his stomach.

He shook it off. Lucy was fine, she had to be. No harm is checking though, right?

Back at the bar the white haired takeover mage sweatdropped. "I didn't tell you to kidnap her and drag her back here Natsu..."

Mirajane who was also polishing glasses with her sister could only laugh in amusement.

* * *

After several moments Lucy had managed to control her breathing, but exhaustion had taken hold of her form and she felt she might lose consciousness at any moment. Pushing against the wall to try and get into an upright position the girl stumbled and cursed as she slid pathetically back into her kneeling position.

_You're going to die of hypothermia if you don't move,_ she scolded herself as she made a grab for the building once more, _get up._

The girls inner musings were interrupted however.

"Well well what do we have here?" A voice rang out behind Lucy, a chuckle resounding in the deep base tone, "Looks like the little celestial mage is sick."

Lucy's back tightened suddenly, she knew that voice. Turning sluggishly she was met with the face of the dark guild leader she had battled against mere days again. The smile on his face was wide and grotesque and he seemed pleased with the surprise written across the girls face.

"Surprised to see I survived?" He said, his eyes glinting evilly in the light as he took a step closer towards the girl.

Grasping for her belt Lucy felt panic rush through her as she realized she had not brought her keys with her and had carelessly left them at home in her rush to get to Wendy. She looked up at the man, trying her best to suppress the fear that she knew was clearly written across her contorted pain filled features.

"W-what do you want?" She attempted to demand, but it came out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper. The man threw his head back and laughed loudly, it's twisted sound echoing eerily through the empty streets.

Lucy flinched.

"What do I want?" He questioned, his eyes lifted as he took several steps closer towards the girl, "I want revenge." He hissed as he came upon the girl and leaned down eye level with her. "I want to make your little guild pay for everything they destroyed that I had worked so hard to achieve and you," He said grabbing her face and running a long gloved finger over her cheek, "will serve a fine purpose of being the stepping stone of that revenge."

Gasping Lucy attempted to yell out in panic but her voice failed her as weakness once again overcame her form.

"Feeling a little weak?" The man said with a vicious smile, his onyx eyes shimmering in amusement, "It's amazing what a little curse can do to you isn't it." Suddenly everything fell into place as the events of the last few days replayed in her mind.

_"Lucy!" Natsu screamed as the Celestial Mage turned just in time to see a large ball of light rushing towards her. Having no time to dodge the girl could do nothing more than throw her hands up, hoping the blunt of the attack would be taken by her arms._

_Upon impact pain shot throughout Lucy's body, sending all of her nerves into a state of haywire. Immediately she heard a distant screaming of agony and feared that someone else had also been hit. After a few moments, however, she realized that scream was her own._

_As the light had faded around her she noticed that the room was moving upwards._

Why is it moving? _She thought numbly, then the realization hit her, it wasn't moving, she was falling._

_Feeling the harsh impact of the stone floor the celestial mage was surprised to see blurs of red, black, and pink rushing towards her screaming her name._

_She lost consciousness a moment after._

* * *

_Lucy felt strange as she noticed everything was extremely black and heavy. Pushing against the darkness she felt herself struggle to push past it._

_"Lucy!" She could hear faint voices calling her. Hoping onto the voices the blonde continued to push past the heavy curtain of shadow until she finally felt it begin to lift._

_As the darkness faded the blonde noted something strange as she felt her body arch and struggle for something. What did it want?_

_Suddenly the girl felt a rush of air race down her throat and realized immediately her body needed oxygen. After several agonizing gasps the mage felt the pounding of her heart slow and her breathing return to its normal pace._

_Her eyes fluttered open, but as soon as the sharp light hit them she slammed them shut, willing the brightness to fade._

_She groaned._

_"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed the blonde noted as she felt an armored hand squeeze her own tightly, "thank god."_

_She heard unified sighs of relief around her and felt it was time to try and open her eyes once more._

_Blinking her eyes Lucy was met with four pairs of worried tear filled eyes watching her every move. Erza sat on her left side hand held in hers and Natsu and Gray took up the space on the right, their faces filled with worry and relief._

_"What-" She realized how raspy her voice was and cleared her throat, "What happened?"_

_Erza wiped sloppily at her face._

_"You let your guard down," The requip mage began, her voice sounding oddly pained, "Left an opening...Damnit! I should have been watching better-"_

_Gray's voice immediately cut in._

_"You left a hole in your defense," He continued for the red head who was currently blaming herself for the slip up, "And that bastard took the opportunity to hit you with that attack..."_

_"I yelled," Natsu said, his eyes oddly guilt ridden, "but it was too late and the attack hit knocking you to the floor." His warm hand on her own suddenly squeezed tightly as he cast his eyes elsewhere._

_"We ran as fast as well could," Titania had regained her voice, "but when we got there you weren't breathing, and we t-thought-we thought we had lost you, but then you suddenly started breathing on your own again. You've only been unconscious for a few minutes."_

_Lucy took a moment to let the information sink in before she let out a shaky sigh and pushed her hands out._

_"Help me up."_

_With great ease Erza pulled Lucy up, her hands never leaving the blondes shoulders, though it was unnecessary. Lucy felt entirely fine. There wasn't a scratch on her._

_After being fussed over by her team mates for several minutes and assuring them that she was fine the team had decided it was time to leave and quickly left the stone building behind._

_Her friends had watched her like a hawk throughout the course of their journey back but after several hours of pestering and Lucy finally having it with their annoying questions they decided the girl was fine._

_That it must have just been the strength of the impact that had knocked the breath from her. A fluke._

_How entirely wrong they had been._

* * *

_Lucy woke up that morning with the most awful cough she had ever experienced. Running towards her bathroom the mage managed to throw up everything that was on her stomach and cough until stars danced across her vision._

_After the fit had ceased Lucy stumbled up onto her feet and propped herself against her bathroom sink. Looking up Lucy was shocked to find blood trailing down the side of her mouth lazily. Almost afraid to look the blonde glanced down towards her palm and noted that it was covered in said sticky substance as well._

_Gasping in shock the girl succumbed to yet another coughing fit and scrambled to grab a towel to throw over her mouth as blood gushed forward unrestrained._

* * *

"Hey Wendy!" Running up to Wendy's table Natsu stopped in front of the small dragon slayer and other Team Natsu members, "You wanna go look for Lucy with me?"

The young dragonslayer looked up and nodded her head quickly, "O-of course Natsu! Though I hope we're not bothering her..."

"Nah," Natsu said with a cheeky grin, "Lucy likes when we invade her apartment."

A snort came from the adjacent table.

"You have no understanding of the idea of 'personal space," The lightning dragon slayer drew slowly, his glass paused part way to his mouth, "Do you?"

At this Natsu bristled. "What did you say Laxus?" Natsu jumped up on the table, all thoughts of Lucy pushed towards the back of his mind, "You wanna fight?"

"So I can wipe the floor with ya?" The lightning dragon slayer said simply, his glare level, "No thanks."

At this Natsu growled and charged at Laxus, fire crackling around his knuckle.

The older man sighed and threw his hand out, catching Natsu's attack with ease. Sighing he looked up towards the younger dragon slayer before throwing him up over the table and sending the pink haired boy crashing into a drinking Gray. Which in turn sent alcohol all across the floor, and led the ice mage to spew his drink all across the back of Gajeel.

"What the hell?" Gray yelled as he shoved Natsu off of him, "What's wrong with you ash for brains!"

"You were in the way Fruit of the Gloom!" Natsu growled menacingly, as flames began to dance around his hands.

A loud growl of annoyance came from a soaked Gajeel as he jumped up from his seat next to Levy and leveled a finger at Natsu and Gray, "Which one of you soaked me with liquor?"

At this Natsu jabbed a finger in Gray's direction which caused the ice alchemist to growl before slugging the pink haired boy across the face.

Soon the slight scuffle turned into a full out fight as gradually everyone was drug into the spree.

Wendy blinked her eyes several times before sitting back down and watching from a distance.

"I sure hope Lucy is alright."

* * *

This was no illness that had suddenly onset Lucy realized as she recalled the blinding light that had rushed towards her, it was a curse that was eating her inside out.

"Understand now do we?" He inquired pulling Lucy's face even with his own, "what joy it will bring me to watch as your pathetic little guild mourns over you as you rot into nothingness." His hand came painfully across Lucy's cheek, sending the girl sprawling out in the snow, "to watch you hurt them as everything you touch will fade into dust."

Lucy let out a choked sound, unsure of what the man was talking about. He laughed with delight.

"Foolish, dumb child," the man chided, "Did you think I would simply kill you? That would be too easy. No instead this curse will destroy anyone who tries to help, much the same way it will destroy you." The man stopped mid stride and looked back towards the girl, "I hope to see you soon Miss Heartfilia."

Then with that the man quickly faded into the distance leaving a barely conscious Lucy laying in the alleyway, snow beginning to cover her limp frame.

_Destroy anyone who tries to help me? See me soon? _ She thought in horror as her vision faded in and out, _what was he talking about-_

Pain engulfed the young mages head as she let out a terrible scream and grabbed pitifully at her skull willing the agony to stop. It was mere moments before the pain became too overbearing and she slipped into blissful unconsciousness._  
_

* * *

In Lucy's darkened apartment her golden keys laying on her table suddenly lit up as an orange haired man popped through, a stuffed lion tucked safely in his arms. Having just came from a spirit festival the bright haired lion hoped to surprise his lovely owner by bringing her a stuffed toy he had won. He smiled as his inner mind theatre of Lucy jumping him in delight played repetitively in his mind.

"Lucy!" Loke called out in delight, "Look what I brought-" Loke's sentence stopped abruptly when he opened his eyes and realized he was standing in an unlit room.

"Lucy?"

* * *

_**Author's Note: Haha Cliffhanger! Err well sorta...  
ANYWAY!  
Not entirely sure what to make of this, so we'll see how it turns out. ^^' Hopefully it's not too awful, anyway please review and let me know what you think! Hopefully since I have very little to actually do (Summer is both a blessing and a curse) this will probably be updated frequently.**_


	2. A Betrayal of the Heart

_**Author's Note: Well I'm really glad to see that some people actually liked this idea! Reviews make getting motivation to write the next chapter so much easier. ALSO I have decided that the pairings will go like this since they are pretty much canon:**_

_**GrayxJuvia**_

_**ErzaxJellal**_

_**LevyxGajeel**_  
_**.**_  
_**..AND either**_

_**LokexLucy**_  
_**or**_  
_**NatsuxLucy**_

_**Anyway give me some feedback concerning this! I already have one review leaning towards NaLu so I have no problems with that. Anywho onto chapter 2.**_

_**Disclaimer: We already know I don't own Fairytail but to apease Fanfiction I have to say it. Here ya go you annoying bastards.**_

_**Chapter 2: Betrayal of the Heart**_

Walking around the apartment the Lion spirit looked for his master, but to no such luck. Feeling panic rise in the pit of his stomach Loke stormed to the bathroom and threw the door open.

"LU-" he never finished his call as he noticed the bathroom was also completely empty. "Where is she?" Leo knew better than anyone that Lucy had her keys on her at all times and to not have them with her worried him immensely.

He was about to leave the bathroom after searching when a flash of red caught his eyes. Turning around the lion quickly pulled the towel that had been stuffed behind the garbage bin free and looked at its red stained surface.

He sniffed once.

His eyes widened in panic as he dropped the towel, that smell belonged to only one person, Lucy. As he glanced around once more he quickly realized there had been no struggle so the chances of kidnapping were extremely low, but with this evidence the worry that had plagued him had shot up tenfold.

Going back into her apartment Loke looked around for any indication of his masters whereabouts and quickly found that her winter jacket was gone from its rightful place on the coat rack and that the door to her apartment had not been closed fully.

Setting the stuffed lion down, Loke grabbed up Lucy's keys and shot off into the winter night. Hoping with all of his might that his celestial mage was safe somewhere.

The lion knew in the pit of his stomach however that that wasn't the case.

* * *

_Lucy blinked her eyes several times and found herself standing in a dimly corridor, the stone walls that surrounded her towering over her small frame._

_"Where am I?" The blonde asked as she looked around herself in panic, unsure of what to do. A low laugh echoed as a woman draped in a long dress appeared before her. Looking up Lucy was shocked to see the mirror image of herself looking back at her._

_"Hello Lucy," the woman, her mirror image greeted, her lips curling into a wicked smile, "what a pleasure it is to meet you in person."_

_"Y-you're" Lucy stuttered as she stumbled backwards, "You're me!" Landing on her hands the blondes eyes widened in horror._

_"Not quite," The duplicate explained as she trailed closer to Lucy, "though that really doesn't matter now, does it?"_

_"What do you want?" Lucy shot back, trying to keep her voice from wavering, "What's going on?"_

_"Now, now," The other Lucy clipped her tongue distastefully before shaking her head, blonde curls bouncing, "I can't tell you that cause you see that would ruin the fun of this game."_

_A large cracking noise echoed around Lucy startling the blonde. Soon after the noise resounded Lucy felt the stone underneath her hands begin to crumble away as a dark mist rose from the cracks. Screaming the blonde tried to crawl away from the darkness that was seeping upwards and towards the grounded blonde._

_A cackling came from the duplicate as she lowered her eyes towards the panicking mage on the ground._

_"Let the game begin."_

* * *

"LUCY!" the low base voice echoed throughout the snow covered streets as an orange haired man raced through the ice looking for his celestial mage. Slipping slightly Loke cursed in frustration as he quickly caught him and set himself back balanced on his feet and took off running once more.

_Where could she have gone?_ The lion spirit thought in panic as his eyes searched quickly through the deserted streets, his green orbs only coming into contact with abandoned carts and iced over stone. _She couldn't have gotten very far,_ he assured himself, _I would have felt a great distance between our bond if she had.  
_  
Jumping over a huge pile of snow Loke threw his hands up around his mouth and let out a loud call, "LUCY! ANSWER ME!" His voice echoed eerily before fading into the distance. No response came.

"Shit," he murmured as he hands came into his hair, tugging on the locks in frustration, "how could I have let this happen?" A million scenarios played through his mind as he imagined all of the horrible things his owner could have been going through at that moment.

"No, this can't be happening," He groaned to himself, "I can't let this happen again. Not like with Karen. Not Lucy..." Letting his voice fade out the spirit looked up towards the night sky and noticed just how dreary and gray the entire town appeared under the gray blanket of clouds.

The only time it actually snowed in Magnolia...

Shaking his head Loke willed his thoughts to get back on track.

"Think Leo," he chided himself, "THINK!" He considered the idea of going to the guild, knowing that was a great chance that was where Lucy had been headed, but that was still a great distance away and there was the possibility that she collapsed between where he was and the guild. He shook his head, going to the guild was a bad idea he had to be thorough with his search. Besides some underlying instinct within the lion told him that his owner was not at the guild.

She may have left Magnolia on a train but that idea also soon sprouted holes in its logic and become flawed. If she was traveling that far she would have taken her keys with her regardless. _Though_, the man thought sourly, _if she was as ill as it seems she may have forgotten_...He shook his head. No, Lucy would never be that careless regardless of what state she would have been in, she loved her spirits too much to leave them unattended for too long.

Then where the hell had she gone?

Running through several places she could have made off to an idea suddenly hit him.

Focusing his magic to the front of his mind he willed the image of Lucy to appear before him as he searched through his magical archive for his bond with her.

After only a few moments of submersion in his inner magical power the lion quickly caught sight of the gold string shimmering amongst his magic and reach out to touch it his hand coming to rest on the strong magical connection-

He found her. Panic swelled up in his being through as he felt her presence through the contact. He could feel her, she was weak, near death even.

His eyes flew open.

Wasting no time the spirit began making his way through the maze like streets of Magnolia, never slowing as he drew close to the location. Turning a final corner Loke could feel her presence but couldn't see her. It took him a moment before he realized the collapsed lump covered in inches of snow was Lucy.

* * *

_Lucy let out a horrified scream as the black mist wrapped around her, beginning to seep into her skin._

_"Do you feel that?" The other Lucy asked, her head cocked to the side in amusement, "That is the feeling of true power. Of darkness." An amused grin graced her face, "Let it in. That is if you're strong enough to not let it kill you."_

_The real Lucy lashed out against the darkness screaming in frustration._

_I can't win, she thought in fear, it's too strong there's just no way...She felt her body go limp as the darkness begin to dig even more painfully into her skin, embedding itself into her._

_"Giving up so soon?" The imposter sounded shocked, "I thought you had more fight in you than that. No matter, you're just trash if you can't control it." A smile graced her features, "Guess we were wrong in assuming you could handle it."_

_The end was growing closer, Lucy could feel it. She could feel herself letting go..._

**_A flash of pink hair danced through her mind._**

**_"Lucy!" His devilish grin as he threw his hand up in the air greeting her. "Let's become a team!"_**

**_The same boy only stronger appeared._**

**_"The strongest team."_**

I can't let it_, she thought to herself as she squinted her eyes against the pressure of the blackness, her back coiling against it, _I can't let it win. I have to live.  
_  
It wasn't going to win._

* * *

"Lucy..." Loke muttered, his voice filled with horror. Not wasting a single moment the man slid next to the blonde and quickly began removing snow from her body.

Slipping his arm underneath Lucy Loke soon had the limp blonde pulled up in his lap. Panic coursed through his veins, _Please_ he begged, _please be okay._

As her form came to be pressed against his own the man almost shrank away at how cold she was. She was colder than ice, and her body was thoroughly soaked. Not to mention how uncannily still the girl was in his arms.

"Lucy," Loke suddenly pleaded, his arm hooked safely under her shoulders as his other hand held her limp head up, "LUCY! Don't you dare die. Lucy." his hands pushing her soaked bangs from her face, as he willed some of his warmth to transfer to the girl.

Where the HELL was Natsu when you needed the bastard?

"Come on Lucy," Patting her face lightly, Loke felt his gut twist even more as he noted how blue her lips were and that her face was a ghostly white, "I know you're in there. Work with me here." Willing the pounding of his heart to silence the lion spirit pulled the girl up closer to his body.

Pushing her face up to his own Loke listened carefully, hoping to hear breathing from the girl. Nothing came.

"Shit." Pulling her wrist into his warm hand he quickly pressed his fingers into her frozen, holding his breath he waited. The slightest pulse moved beneath his fingers. She was still there, but only barely. Tears were burning at the back of his eyes, he had failed her.

"Lucy," Loke began in a shaky voice, "I know you don't want me to have to do this and I'd rather you be conscious when we share our first kiss-" No response came from the frozen girl, "Please Lucy, breathe. Come back to me. Please." Still nothing.

"Shit," Loke hissed as he pulled the girls head up , preparing for the worst. A breath suddenly brushed his nose however as he came close to her. Loke pulled back, relief fluttering through his system.

"Lucy!" He cried out noticing her brown eyes were beginning to flutter, "You're okay-" Her palm came to rest on his face.

"Lucy?"

* * *

_Yelling the blonde felt power boil up beneath her skin as push out through her skin, searing the blackness and making it recoil against the light._

_"What the hell is this?" The imposter barked, her eyes narrowing, "This isn't possible!"_

_The blackness was suddenly consumed in golden light as it released its hold on Lucy, allowing said girl to drop towards the ground. Landing on her knees, Lucy felt her bangs cover her eyes. A thousand voices swirled through the girls mind, chanting various things and edging her forward._

_"You bitch," the other woman snarled, the darkness beginning to wrap around her palms, "If they can't finish you off I will-" The woman's sentence was cut short when Lucy's hand suddenly gripped her face, power beginning to crawl beneath her skin._

_The woman looked up in panic and almost instantly felt the tension fall from her shoulders. The girls eyes were onyx, the curse had managed to embed itself. The woman chuckled, her mission was finished._

_"What are you laughing about?" Lucy voice was not her own, the power that coursed through her veins felt extremely foreign and in many ways so entirely right but wrong. She felt like a stranger inside of her own skin._

_"We win." The woman began to cackle._

_Anger flared through Lucy, a feeling so unlike her. This wasn't her she knew, but for some reason she couldn't stop. Letting a roar rip from her throat black energy exploded in the woman's face causing an agonizing yell to fly from the woman's mouth._

_Lucy felt her eyes widen, that didn't sound anything like-_

* * *

Suddenly Lucy was thrown back into consciousness her eyes fluttering rapidly. It was Loke screaming. Lucy felt her eyes widen in disbelief and horror.

Darkness was swirling around her palm as it coursed through Loke's body, his face was contorted in pain, eyes dull from the agony.

"Oh my god!" Lucy yelled as she pulled her hands away from Loke. As soon as her hand came away from his face the orange haired spirit became lax as he tumbled backwards into the snow, his breathing shallow and eyes hollow.

Lucy scrambled to her feet, tears streaming down her face, _what had she done?_ Looking at her hands Lucy felt disgust flare through her system as she let out a single heart wrenching scream that resonated throughout all of Magnolia.

* * *

Natsu grinned as he kicked Gray over a table and blocked a punch from Elfman, this was getting to be way too much fun.

"I'm all fired up!" The dragonslayer proclaimed, as flames came pouring through his first as he cackled in delight. A solid rod of iron hit him across the face sending the boy sprawling.

"Shut up you bastard!" Gajeel yelled as he pulled the rod of iron back, his body kneeling on the broken table.

"Ice make: LANCE!" As soon as the yell came out Gajeel looked up stupidly to see a solid rod of ice racing towards him. Having no time to move the block of ice collided with the iron dragonslayers face, knocking him from his perch.

"NATSU!" Gray roared, as he jumped up from the rubble.

"Bring it stripper!" The pink haired boy taunted, his hands waving for the ice alchemist to come at him, "I'll kick your ass all around the guild."

"ENOUGH!" A booming voice suddenly roared as a giant suddenly appeared above all of the brawling guild sending them all into a stunned silence, that is, except for Natsu.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered, "Gramps is joining in-" A hand collided with Natsu and slammed the dragonslayer painfully into the wall. Letting out a small squeak he slid down before landing with a solid _thunk.  
_  
"Oh Natsu," Happy whined, facepalming, "You never learn."

"YOU SHITTY BRATS!" Makarov roared in his giant form, "CAN WE NOT HAVE A SINGLE MOMENTS PEACE?" Sighing the man slowly began to shrink back to normal size, annoyance written across his features.

"Settle down and quit your brawling!" The old man yelled before muttering something under his breath that sounded oddly like 'I should have retired when I had the chance.' Turning Makarov begin making his way across the wreckage back to where his alcohol lay waiting for him.

Natsu went to open his mouth to make a comment when a scream suddenly echoed from outside the guild and resounded throughout the entire guild hall. Everyone froze.

"Was that-" Levy asked, her eyes wide in horror.

"Lucy." Natsu growled, immediately recognizing the scream, jumping up he made a beeline for the doorway. It was mere moments before Gray and Erza quickly flanked him, followed by a panic stricken Wendy and Levy, with Gajeel trailing closely behind and the three exceeds flying quickly ahead.

It wasn't long before the situation settled in on the entire guilds mind and they were racing behind the others, worry and fear embedded in their hearts and one thought racing through each of their minds in unison.

_What had happened to their celestial mage?_

* * *

Stumbling to her feet, Lucy felt the tears streaming down her face unrestrained. Frozen in fear the mage could do nothing more than watch the feeble breathing of her most loyal spirit.

_"..this curse will destroy anyone who tries to help, much the same way it will destroy you."  
_  
This was all her fault._  
_  
She was a monster.

A high scream suddenly tore through Lucy's mind driving the spirit mage to her knees. Soon her head was filled with screaming voices, all of them directed towards her.

_"Murderer!"_

_"Killer!"_

_"Monster!"_

She couldn't take it. Unaware of anything but the agonizing ear splitting racket in her mind Lucy failed to notice as she coughed up blood and as the weak voice of her spirit called to her in fear.

"Lucy!"

It fell on deaf ears.

Trying to escape the voices the celestial mage stumbled back to her feet and ran as quickly as she could. Her hands clamped down on her ears and tears pouring down her face without restrain. She had to get away, she couldn't harm anyone else.

The voices were singing now, a high dissonant tune that tore at the blonde's soul.

_"murderer, murderer, you killed him, you killed him, who's next?"_

Sliding through the streets Lucy quickly fled Magnolia, her feet pounding painfully against the icy stone roads. Hitting the bridge that was that entrance into the city the blonde quickly evaporated into the ice ridden woods, the snow leisurely covering up her tracks as she disappeared without a trace.

_**Author's Note: Well that was...intense to write haha. Hope you enjoyed it. Expect chapter three up either tomorrow or the next day (no promises though)**_


	3. The Separation

**_Author's Note: WOW I didn't expect this many people to actually like this idea...heh well I'm glad you do! Hopefully I can make this live up your expectations and it is oddly addictive to write...though we shall see. ^^_**

_**Thank you so much to all of my reviewers and alert listers! 14 for only two chapter is phenomenal and 17 followers and 5 fav's really make my day...These things really do assist in giving me motivation to write the next portion of the story.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairytail BLAH BLAH BLAH**_

**Chapter 3: The Seperation**

It had happened so fast that Loke wasn't entirely sure what had occurred, but one thing was for certain, something was wrong with Lucy, terribly wrong.

Struggling to draw breath in the lion spirit noted his heart beating painfully against his rib cage as he felt the very life and existence drain from him. Almost like it had done during his exile, only this time it was a hundred fold of what that had been and the magic that coursed through his system reeked of death.

Struggling to put his hands underneath himself Loke froze when a scream from Lucy resonated off the stone walls surrounding him.

"No," he could hear her muttering underneath her breath over and over, "No, no, no, WHAT HAVE I DONE!" He heard the blonde as she fell to her knees and willed his body to work with him, but to no avail. His damn muscles just weren't responding the way they were suppose to and if the black spots dancing around his vision were any indication he would be losing consciousness soon.

Forcing the agony down the lion spirit managed to roll over onto his stomach and pull his head up so he could see Lucy. He felt his stomach knot, her once gorgeous brown orbs were a steely onyx and were entirely unfocused.

He tried to call her name, but his was too breathless to do anything more than let a raspy pocket of air escape his lips.

The blondes shoulders tightened suddenly as her body began to shake uncontrollably as her hands clapped down tightly around her eyes as though she were blocking out so unheard noise. Coughing, Lucy soon forced foreign liquid from her lungs, splattering the pavement in a deep scarlet.

Loke quickly found his second wind.

"Lucy!" He attempted to yell, though it came out as more of a spoken tone, but he was certain it was enough for the blonde to hear. She didn't respond. Instead she looked up and locked her gaze with Loke's, the onyx color beginning to crumble away leaving confused and guilt ridden brown orbs. After several hazy blinks the blonde was struggling to her feet and stumbling down the alley way, her entire figure wavering as she quickly fled.

Loke attempted to shove himself upwards but failed as gravity took hold and forced the man back down on to the ground, making the already painful stinging coursing through his system resonate worse.

He was useless, absolutely useless.

Feeling a single choked sob rip from his throat, Loke dug his fingers into the stone beneath him, draw blood from his shattering fingernails. If only he had paid better attention...  
_  
This is my fault_, he thought as a single stray tear pulled free from his eye and lazily trailed down his cheek, _whatever happens after this is entirely on my shoulders._

Putting his head against the stone Loke had to bite back a scream as the darkness that was racing through his system flared up and tore at his insides, poisoning his entire being with its presence.

She hadn't meant to do this, he was certain of that, whatever was controlling her had caused her to do it... but just what the hell had overcome her?

Flashes of ancient memories sparked to life in Loke's mind as he tried to pinpoint why this feeling, this agony, was so familiar. Trying to push the pain down an old memory surfaced shocking the lion spirit from his daze. He eyes widened, _there's no way-  
_  
Another flare up ripped through his being, this time finding exit through his skin as the dark magic ripped through his clothes and left them stained in dark blood. Loke let out a rare cry of agony as he withered on the ground, his heart beating even harder against his rib cage.

_How is it back? _The lion spirit thought breathlessly, the pain from his wounds seeped to his bones trying to steal his consciousness. _How did this happen?_A flash of dark hair suddenly clouded Loke's mind and he felt his chest constrict. Without a doubt this was that.

He knew what this magic was, he knew the sting of it, the taste, the power, the smell- but what failed him was how the hell Lucy had suddenly been burdened with its weight. He could have swore it had been entirely eradicated from the world, there hadn't been a war over it for no reason, unless-

His heart painfully beat once in his chest, causing him to squeaze his eyes in pure suffering. He could feel the magic trickling through his blood, trying to take hold of his soul. It was pushing against his magical barrier that protected his spirit and was looking for even the slightest nick in its defense. He couldn't hold out too much longer.

_Where's Natsu?_ Loke thought suddenly as he drew a few shaky breaths trying to prepare himself for what he knew was coming next, _If Natsu could just get to Lucy-_

It was too late as the final burst of magic tore through Loke's skin and clothing, bringing his inner musings to an immediate halt. The flare this time had been fair worse than the rest and had shred through every inch of his entire body. The pain was worse than the injury though. It resonated throughout his entire form, tugging and pulling at every inch of his essence. It was attempting to consume his entire being, to rot him from the inside out.

Choking Loke knew the darkness was fast approaching. As a last ditch effort he pulled his ring close to his chest-

A burst of magic exploded as Loke felt oblivion descend on him.

This couldn't be happening.

* * *

"LUCY!" Natsu yelled as he ran down the streets of Magnolia, his scarf billowing behind him as he trudged through inches of snow, his pink spikes beginning to freeze.

"Lucy! Where are you!" Erza's sharp voice cut through the heavy night air like a knife as she raced down the street adjacent to Natsu, her eyes ridden with fear.

Not far away on another street Gray was doing the same as his companions. his dark eyes scanning the streets rapidly.

"LUCY!" Happy's voice soon chorused the others as he flew high above the buildings, hoping to catch sight of the blonde from his birds eyes view.

Turning several corners the three team mates soon met on the main street of Magnolia, their eyes continuously searching and their bodies ridden with tension.

"I can't find her anywhere." Gray growled, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Around the team the sound of the other guild mates desperate search echoed throughout the many corridors of Magnolia.

No one could find her.

Lifting his nose to the air Natsu hoped to catch her scent, even just the faintest bit. Sniffing several times Natsu finally caught a faint wiff of vanilla and knew it was her smell immediately. However when the metallic scent of iron crashed against his nose immediately following her scent his mind went into overdrive.

That was the scent of Lucy's blood, and if the strength of the smell was any indication there was a lot of it.

"No..." clasping his hands into tight fist Natsu soon turned on his heel and tore down the streets of Magnolia, following the faint scent of blood that had assaulted his nose.

"N-Natsu!" Erza yelled when her companion unexpectedly raced, turning as well she quickly trailed after her teammate.

"Wait!" Gray hollered in surprise and was in step with the requip mage in mere moments.

With that both team members tried to catch up with their speeding team mate who was hundreds of feet ahead of them.

* * *

Natsu continued to sniff the air and began to realize it wasn't just Lucy's scent present but Loke's as well. Blood and all. Natsu's blood began to boil, whatever had gone after Lucy had apparently done a number on Loke as well if the dragonslayers assumptions were correct.

Sliding around a corner Natsu immediately noted a collapsed body in the darkened alleyway. One snift confirmed his suspicions.

"LOKE!" Natsu yelled as he pounded towards the extremely still figure. Bending down quickly Natsu shook the spirit roughly, prompting the man to wake up. Happy quickly descended down beside his best friend, eyes wide with fear.

"Damnit Loke," Natsu hissed as he shook the spikey haired man, "Snap out of it." It was then that Erza and Gray slid around the corner and quickly raced towards to the collapsed spirit and frantic dragonslayer.

"Loke..." Erza whispered in shock as she noticed the blood that was pooling around his body and how shallow his breathing was.

Her thoughts soon became hectic, _what could have been strong enough to take Loke out?_Snapping out of her state of daze Erza immediately began barking orders in her mind through Warrens telepathic connection.

_Get Wendy to the alleyway of Sunset and Canyon Square now,_ her voice resonated, _Loke's been gravely injured and isn't responding. Lucy's nowhere in sight either. _

A chorus of worried and frantic 'yes ma'am's echoed throughout the teammates ears.

"What happened?" Gray questioned as he kneeled down next to both his old partner and friend, anger beginning to simmer beneath the surface as he noted the damage done to the man.

"I don't know," Natsu growled and immediately stood up, his eyes narrowed.

"Loke..." Happy whispered as tears leaked from his eyes, and his small paws came to rest over his mouth, "Is he going to be okay?"

"L-lu," A strangled whisper came from the spirit startling everyone into action. It only took a moment for Natsu and Gray to have the spirit flipped over onto his back and facing upwards. The damage on the front was far worse than the damage on the back.

Their brows all furrowed.

"Loke," Erza suddenly addressed the spirit as she leant down next to him, "What happened?"

A strong cough resonated throughout the spirits body spilling blood everywhere. Once the coughing ceased the spirit shakily raised a hand to rest across his chest, his eyes dull as he watched his former comrades with weak eyes. He tried to speak once more.

"L-Lucy, h-help her, she'll die if you don't. . ." Loke voice faded out as he went limp causing the group to jump in panic, fearing the worst. Fortunately however the man had merely fallen into slumber as indicated by the rise and fall of his chest.

"Damn it," Gray hissed in annoyance as his fist came down against the stone, "What the hell is going on! Where is Lucy?"

"Natsu," Happy's voice cut through suddenly, sounding terrified, "Look." Walking over towards the group Happy held out a leather container and key ring holding numerous celestial keys.

"Her keys." Natsu said breathlessly as he reach out to pull them from Happy's hand. His hands were shaking as he pulled the delicate keys into his palms and noticed they were covered in the dark substance of blood as well. He didn't have to even sniff them to know it was Lucy's.

"And there's a puddle of blood." Happy timidly pointed out as his little paw waved towards the dark pooled puddle that sat in the center of the alleyway. Natsu's hands suddenly constricted around the keys

"Is that-" Gray didn't finish his question before a nod of conformation came from Natsu.

It was Lucy's.

The pink haired boy had also noted that another scent was dancing through the air, one that didn't belong to either Loke or Lucy, one that had a tinge of familiarity.

"Shit!" The ice mage yelled as he jumped to his feet, "We have to go after her-"

"No," Erza's voice barked suddenly, her eyes flat, "We can't go anywhere until Loke is attended to."

"But Erza," Natsu yelled in rage, his eyes holding a faint trace of fear, "If Lucy was injured and kidnapped without her keys she's defenseless! They could kill her!" At this the Titania's shoulder's tightened before she gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment, obviously weighing her options.

"Go," She finally told Natsu, before shifting her eyes to Gray and Happy, "All of you go and look for her I'll stay here with Loke till Wendy arrives. Be careful." The ice alchemist quickly rose to match his rivals stature and both nodded before racing off into the streets of Magnolia, following the faint trail of blood that littered the streets.

Erza felt her head fall, guilt wearing at the lining of her heart. Something was extremely amiss Erza knew as she watched the spirit carefully, almost counting each inhale and exhale.

He should have popped back to the spirit world the second he was injured like this and the fact that he had not sat heavy on the red haired woman's shoulders. That in combination with Lucy leaving her keys carelessly lying on the ground left for a foul taste in her mouth.

Another factor also played into the mind of Fairytail's strongest female mage. There was no indication of massive struggle, whoever had done this had done it fast. It couldn't have been more than one or two people, extremely powerful people at that to take Loke out with such force. Unless it had be Lucy-

Erza immediately stopped her thoughts right there, knowing there was no way she could have done this to one of her precious nakama, plus there was the pool of her own blood lying mere meters away.

_Please let Loke be okay and wake up_, she thought as she finally heard the shouts and drumming foot falls as the rest of the guild rushed towards her location_, then he can tell us just what's going on.  
_

* * *

"It's this way!" Natsu yelled towards his shirtless companion as they reach the outskirts of Magnolia.

The pink haired boy's thoughts raced through his mind a mile a minute as worry and angry gnawed at the edges of his mind.

He should have been more observant of his friend and should have taken the time to actually have gone to look for her instead of brawling with his guild mates. It was a careless mistake, and a large one at that.

The image of the collapsed Lucy on the stone floor of the dark guild hall still tugged at his memory and he felt disgust course through his system. Why couldn't he have done a better job of protecting her? By no means was Lucy helpless, but there were instances when she needed to be protected.

As he thought of her small stature and wide eyes Natsu felt his teeth clench, how could any dare to try and hurt someone so kind and fragile? He'd never know that answer.

It wasn't to say that Lucy was a burden, that was the farthest thing from the truth, but by no means was she the most physically built to fight off attackers or to hold a defensive line. That's what her spirits were for and when her spirits went down she was vulnerable, so completely vulnerable.

He should have been there to stop it, no ifs ands or buts about it.

Sliding around a corner, Natsu heard the tell tale signs of Happy flying above him with the whooshing of his wings and the pounding of Gray's shoes as he kept right on the Salamander's trail.

He'd never admit it, but Natsu was glad Gray was with him. If anyone could assist in the crushing of some sick kidnapping bastards skulls it was Gray. Not to mention his undying loyalty and friendship towards Lucy knew no bounds. He'd do anything for her.

Just as Natsu would.

Which is what made this situation so hard to bear, they had taken away one of the most important key elements to their group. Their precious nakama; and anyone who touched the comrades of the Fairytail Guild had hell to pay.

And they would, tenfold.

_I'm so sorry Lucy.  
_  
Running beneath the entrance sign of the town and out into the woods that surrounded it, Natsu stopped. Sniffing the air several times the dragonslayer felt rage pour through his system. Lucy's scent was gone entirely, and any indication of her disappearance was covered in inches of snow.

Natsu cursed.

"I've lost her scent." Growling Natsu scanned through the tree line before dashing off into the woods, a confused Gray quickly followed after.

* * *

"NATSU!" Gray yelled as the pink haired man escaped his line of sight, "Damnit! That flame headed bastard took off without any backup." Gripping his hair Gray looked at the snow covered trees, willing a clue to present itself.

Nothing of great interest popped out at him causing the ice alchemist to groan. Why the hell had they not gone to look for Lucy sooner? Some friends they were...

_I guess I should look on my own,_ he thought as he went east of the way Natsu had disappeared, _at least we can cover more ground that way. _

* * *

"Happy," Natsu called as he pulled himself up a tree and peered through the snow covered branches out into the white blanketed landscape, "have you seen any tracks or signs of Lucy."

"No," Happy called, as he circled above the forest , "there's nothing I can find Natsu. She must have disappeared into thin air!"

The idea of a magical escape weighed heavily on Natsu's mind as he quickly made his way down to the base of the tree, landing with a faint 'poof' as snow scattered about his feet.

"Natsu," Happy asked, his face sad as he watched his 'father's' face scrunch up in thought, "We should get back to Erza and the others so they can join in the search. It's too dark to do anything else."

Happy was right. Even with a flame burning around his fist to grant him light, the woods were extremely hard to navigate much less investigate. Natsu didn't want to stop but knew it would probably be for the better. He had turned to leave when the faint whiff of vanilla spiked his nose again and he caught hold of Lucy's scent once more.

"Happy I've got her scent!" He exclaimed as he raced off through the snow, "come on!"

"Aye sir!" Happy called after as he followed through the endless maze of trees that Natsu somehow managed to navigate without colliding with. Dunking and weaving Natsu easily got rid of the distance between himself and the scent of Lucy as he raced through the woods, his heart in his throat.

* * *

Gray was going to skin that pink haired asshole when he got back to the guild. Leaving the ice alchemist with virtually no light source Gray was trying to pick his way through the words without only the faint reflection of moonlight through the clouds.

It wasn't going so well.

Gray felt his foot hang on another root and went tumbling forward, spewing snow up into his face and hair. Yes he was definitely skinning him.

Pushing up onto his palms Gray felt something soft under his palm and looked down to see what he had stumbled across. Pulling the material up into his hands he squinted trying to make out what the object was. It was a scarf that was a deep purple in color and had silver swirls embroidered into it.

It was Lucy's.

Tucking the material safety in his pocket Gray tried to make out the vague shapes of the worlds, hoping to catch a glance of the missing blonde. Instead he saw a flash of red and heard the faint flapping of wings.

Natsu.

Jumping over the fallen tree that lay in his path Gray looked his eyes on Natsu's racing frame and followed after, his hand shoved deep in his pocket holding onto Lucy's discarded scarf.

They'd find her. They had too.

* * *

"NATSU!" The dragonslayer heard his name called as the exhibitionist ice mage caught up in step with him, "You bastard, do you know how hard it is looking through the forest at night with virtually no light?"

The pink haired boy didn't respond and only continued running, his entire mind focused on the faint scent that kept dancing in and out of his reach. Gray said nothing further, knowing his companion had a good reason for not responding and instead only followed Natsu through several hundreds of feet of forest.

The forest raced past the trio in a blur, dark trees and snow beginning to blend together as one continuous scene of gray that continually played over and over. When it seemed as though they had run beyond any understandable distance Natsu veered off towards left and quickly came upon the wooden bridge that sat in the middle of the woods between Magnolia and its nearest bordering towns.

The bridge itself was quite quaint in design, having only a simple railing and the wear and tear on it obvious. Stepping up onto the bridge Natsu sniffed the air once.

"It stops here." Looking upwards the dragonslayer couldn't find any place where Lucy and her assailants could have escaped into the trees. Making the possibility of a magical transportation spell even more plausible which sent Natsu's heart into a whole new world of turmoil.

Natsu thoughts were soon cut short as Gray yelled for his companion, the ice alchemist leaning over the rail of the bridge.

"Natsu," The ice alchemist pointed towards the river, his voice hollow, "look."

Peering closely Natsu noted nothing strange about the river other than it was coated in a layer of ice as it always was during the blizzards when they plagued Magnolia.

"There's nothing there." Natsu said flatly, feeling vaguely annoyed they were wasting their time staring at ice instead of looking for Lucy. Gray's hand came across the back of Natsu's skull.

"Dumbass! Look closer," His finger motioned towards the base of the bridge, "see that dark spot?"

Looking once more Natsu was finally about to depict what Gray was trying to show to him. It was an hole in the ice spanning only a few feet in diameter, only big enough for someone of a small stature to fit through . Upon carefully inspection it was easy to hear the violent currents dancing beneath the surface and splashing up through the hole onto the ice cap of the body of water. A faint trail of vanilla danced up from the hole in the ice. The pieces began to slowly weave themselves together...

It clicked.

"No..."

_**Author's Note: Next chapter should be up shortly since the muses are actually working with me ^^ OH and if you hadn't noticed from the response I received the story is officially NaLu. Besides I have a really cool idea I'm going to try to work in with Loke...heh ^^ anyway til next time. **_


End file.
